Hi all, 

Thanks chop

Starting an engine that has been laid up for a number of years can potentially create more problems than the initial euphoria of hearing it fire for the first time provides .
Finding yourself in possession of a vehicle that has been unused for a long period of time means usually the story behind the lay up is lost and the first presumption is that it just lapsed into an unused state,,, if only we were all that lucky,,, .A greater percentage of vehicles in this situation were not laid up with any attention paid to long term storage preparation.
Minimum , pull the cylinders and make sure there is no wall surface corrosion above and bellow the pistons resting place also the condition of the rings can be determined at this point , also the valve and guide condition can be inspected at this time ,its not uncommon for engines laid up to shed carbon off of working surfaces that can cause damage that might not become evident till a period of time after the run up.
This will also give you the opportunity to visually inspect the bottom end ,on the same note ,check the clutch /primary drive for condition and the lid can be taken off the trans and a corrosion inspection performed as well ,transmissions that have been laid up un serviced can develop a 'Plimsoll line' of rust across the gear set.
Or you could just 'gas and go', it's your bike,but don't forget it is also a piece of history that could be preserved .

The humble old wasp Mark loves old engines to live in lol :)

Thanks hoodeng - informative post

You could try P & L at Toongabbie  2/200 Toongabbie Rd, Toongabbie NSW 2146 Phone: (02) 9631 1866